Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Asian Studies (research) or another relevant Research MA. Fair reading knowledge of Sanskrit is required. The course will concentrate on directed reading of a Sanskrit text.
Students from regular MA programmes (not research) are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Description
We will devote ourselves to a close reading of Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra in Sanskrit, beginning with Chapter 1 and proceeding as far as possible.
Course objectives
Students will learn how to read Buddhist poetic texts, become familiar with the Sanskrit style of the author, and learn to think about the relation between poetic form and doctrinal content.
Timetable
See timetable of the MA Asian Studies (research).
Mode of instruction
Seminar.
Attendance is compulsory for all sessions. Students must prepare well and contribute to in-class discussion. If a student cannot attend because of illness or misadventure, they should promptly inform the convener. Extra assignments may be set to make up for missed class time, at the convener’s discretion. Absence without notification may result in lower grades or exclusion from assessment components and a failing grade for the course.
Course Load
| Total Course Load 5 EC x 28 hours | 140 hours |
|---|---|
| Class sessions (6 x 2 x 2 hrs) | 24 hours |
| Extra contact hours Research MA students | 6 hours |
| Preparation for classes | 80 hours |
| Preparation of paper/translation exercise | 30 hours |
Assessment method
Academic Integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation.
Students must submit their assignment(s) to the blackboard through turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Class performance | 50% |
| Either a translation exercise or written paper | 50% |
In order to pass the course, students need a pass mark (“voldoende”, i.e. “5.50” or higher) for the paper / translation exercise and for the course as a whole.
All categories of assessment must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Resit
Only if the total weighted average is 5.49 or lower and this is the result of a paper graded 5.49 or lower, a re-sit of the paper is possible (50%). In that case the convenor of the course may decide to assign a (new) topic. The deadline for this version will be determined by the course convenor, after consultation with the student.
A re-sit for other course components is not possible.
Exam review
If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
- Uploading assignments (Note: Readings will be distributed in class (Sanskrit text only))
Note: there is no separate Blackboard page available for this ResMa course. Please subscribe to the Blackboard page of the regular MA course.
Reading list
Sanskrit text of the Bodhicaryāvatāra
For the Research MA students additional reading will be determined by the convener at a later stage taking into account the students’ fields of interest. Extra sessions will be organized to discuss this extra literature.
Registration
Students are required to register through uSis. To avoid mistakes and problems, students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetable in the column under the heading “USIS-Actnbr.”. More information on uSis is available in Dutch and English.
Not being registered, means no permission to attend this course. See also the webpage on course and exam enrolment for registration deadlines and more information on how to register.
Registration à la carte or contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
Remarks
Students with disabilities
The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accommodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.